Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Even though the Republicans won't vote for his stimulus package, at least they can have drinks at the White House.....

Invitations are out: A presidential cocktail reception – for Congressional leaders only – is taking place on Wednesday evening at the White House.

One day after President Obama visited Capitol Hill, he is returning the favor by being host to about two dozen Democrats and Republicans on his turf. The event, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., is the first-of-a-kind gathering in the new administration and the latest sign that Mr. Obama is attempting to build relationships with Congress.

The bipartisan affair is set to come shortly after the House considers the president’s economic stimulus bill. The roll call vote could make for some interesting conversation, particularly if the bulk of Republicans oppose the proposal as planned.

The reception will take place in the Red, Blue and Green rooms of the executive mansion.

So who’s on the guest list?

There are six House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader; and six House Republicans, including Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the minority leader and Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the whip.

On the Senate side, there are five leading Democrats, including Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, and Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois. On the Republican side, five senators also are invited, including: Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, along with Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Jon Kyl of Arizona, John Thune of South Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas.

And yes, mingling is encouraged between Republicans and Democrats, as well as senators and representatives. They will, of course, have plenty to discuss, considering the economic stimulus plan has several hurdles to cross before the president can sign the bill.

subscribe hereicebergslim on Daily Kos ShareNote: If you are viewing this in Firefox, on 17" monitor or smaller, the left panel may be blown. This is a firefox issue, if you view this in IE, Safari, Opera, Google Chrome, no issue. FYI.